The GALA Bowling League (GBL) is an outgrowth of the former GALA Potluck Dinner Group.  GALA (pronounced gay-la) stands for Gay And Lesbian Activities.  During the Summer of 1990, an ad was placed in OPTIONS for a GALA meeting for those interested in forming a GAY/LESBIAN bowling league.  About fifteen people showed up for that meeting and the GBL was born.

After being rejected by one bowling house, Dave Nolin, former manager of Lang's Lanes in Cranston, said that our gay/lesbian league would be most welcome there.  The first season of the GBL began in the fall of 1990 on Mondays at 9:00 at Lang's, with 24 bowlers.

Later that first season, Toby Pineau , an officer of the Boston gay/lesbian bowling league, visited our league and urged us to become members of IGBO, (International Gay Bowling Organization).  IGBO's mission is to promote the fellowship of gay/lesbian bowling.  As a result, many leagues in cities throughout the USA and Canada sponsor IGBO tournaments on holiday weekends.  IGBO sponsors an annual tournament every Memorial Day weekend that various gay/lesbian leagues bid on, to bring the tournament to their city.  The same is done for a mid-year tournament to coincide with the Veteran's Day holiday weekend.  In May of 1991 in Toronto, the GBL became a member of IGBO.  The GBL remains the only IGBO member in Rhode Island.

Within two years, gay/lesbian leagues in Providence, Boston and Hartford were all hosting their own small regional IGBO tournaments.  At that time, Ray Hart, the Northeast Regional of IGBO, suggested to our three leagues that we put together a single tournament that would rotate between the three cities.  Thus, the New England Invitational Tournament was born in 1993.  The NEIT, (pronounced neat) was formed by the IGBO representative of the three leagues: Toby Pineau of Boston, Jack DuPont of Hartford and Arthur Davey of Providence and ultimately approved by all three leagues.  Since the last time GALA hosted the NEIT in 1997, Hartford has dropped out to run its own annual tournament and the Syracuse NY gay/lesbian league has been invited to take their place in order to keep NEIT a tri-state tournament.  NEIT was re-christened as the North East Invitational Tournament.  Syracuse hosted the NEIT in 2000 and in 2001, the GBL hosted its third NEIT.

The first national IGBO tournament the GBL sponsored was called the RI Quahog Tournament Invitational Providence or QTIP.  Rhode Island artist Don Bosquet gave the GBL permission to use one of his cartoons as our logo.  Once the NEIT was formed. the RI QTIP became a benefit tournament on Easter Saturday for Sunrise House.  The GBL has held ten annual Q-TIPs and has raised over $22,000 for Sunrise House and AIDS Care Ocean State.  In 2001, the GBL decided to add a second Q-TIP in August to coincide with Rhode Island's Victory Day weekend.  The Q-TIP, TOO benefits Kathy's Group, Inc., a support group for lesbians affected by cancer.

In the Summer of 2001, the GBL got a new house...sort of.  After 11 years at Lang's Bowl-A-Rama in Cranston, we grabbed our balls and moved to East Providence Lanes on Newport Avenue in East Providence.  Since the first balls were thrown at Langs, the ranks of the GBL have swelled from the initial 24 bowlers to our current force of almost 70 bowlers.

The GALA Bowling League meets on Sunday evenings from the end of August until the end of April at 6:00 PM at East Providence Lanes, 80 Newport Avenue in East Providence.  If you are interested in joining us, stop by the lanes at 5:45 PM on Sundays or drop us an e-mail and we will be glad to answer any of your questions.